The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-01-07
SUBSCRIPTIONS {:
THE CARRYING OF PISTOLS.
People Who Take Out Legal Permits.
Sale of Firearms to Minors.

People Who Take Out Legal Permits.
Sale of Firearms to Minors.
There was time not SO very long ago,
when the carrying of pistols was unre
stricted by law in New York Then
permit, for which nothing was required,
was demanded, and many persons took
out permits, but only a small part, it was
believed, of those who carried pistols.
The next fee was the imposition of a Ii
cense fee of 81, and then there was
large diminution in the number of per-
mits applied for. About three years ago
the fee was raised tn So 80 and there was
still fewer permits Issued. But it is not
believed that fewer pistols are carried.
At the present time there are only about
5000 permits out, but nobody imagines
that there are only 5000 hip-pockets
bullying out with revOlvers in this city
Very many more than that number of
pistols are sold here at retail every year.
The men who take out permits are, as
g rule, those whose. business requires
them to be out late at night in presuma-
bly, dangerous sections of the city, or
causes them to carry considerable sums
of money. Collectors, ag ents, merchants,
liquor dealers, laundrymen, spectators,
theatrical managers, contractors, report
ers, butchers and grOcers, appear on the
list. There are many more on the west
and east sides than in the center of the
city, who seem 20 deem pistols indis-
pensable to their safety. Where aPplica
tions have been made from the central up
town, or residence Sc elton, the applicants
are in the most cases extra conscientious
persons, who fancy that permits are
necessary to enable them lawfully to
keep pistols for the soaring away of dur
lars.
1t is illegal To sell pistols to boys. In
practice the leading stores will sell PTS
tolls to minors only when the minors are
accompanied by adults, but there are nun
dreds of shops where the only two re-
uuirements in such transactions are that
the boy shall have the money to pay for
the pistol and be big enough to lug it
away Boys, particularly those OF the
hoodlum class, are the principal buyers OF
the cheap, ''pot metal' revolvers, OF the
sort that sell at wholesale for from go cents
to 81 each and retail from $1.0O to 81
collectively known in the trade as trash"
and truck" 1t is a significant tact
that in almost every murder perpetrated
by shooting here, one of these cheap PTS
tolls, and generally the big bored thing
known as a s'British bulldog" has been
the weapon employed.
Cinnamon buy a great many pistols
and invariably purchase the pest tney can
find, paying for them from Sl2 to $40.
When asked what they buy them Tor the
response, in nineteen cases out OF twenty,
is either 'send home, China, " or ''take
home, China Chinese laundrymen,
in localities where the tough element
abounds, generally keep pistols in their
establishments for self protection and oc-
casionally take out licenses for carrying
them. The Italians aye great buyers OF
cheap pistols OF course they prefer
knives and stilettos, but anything that
will kill has charms for them, excepting
club, they are more afraid of club than
of q scythe or a gun.-New York sun.